Brombeer Lyrics in English Bart Peeters

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Brombeer by Bart Peeters from Dutch to English.
These lyrics have verified word for word translations. Click any lyric word to see the translation and hear the pronunciation!
I know exactly how boring a grump is
’Cause I was one myself, I was never happy
I kept whining, this and that kept going wrong
And the fault was never mine
Even when morning had gold in its mouth
I crawled out of bed on the wrong side
No way I got up without a foul mood
But I switched that button off
You win the hundred meters with a good start
You win the Tour de France with a bike
With pretty words you sometimes win a heart
But you win nothing with grumpiness
I sat in a bath of pure cynicism
But I got sick of my whining
Call it a lack of realism
I threw my grumpiness out the door
You win the hundred meters with a good start
You win the Tour de France with a bike
With pretty words you sometimes win a heart
But you win nothing with grumpiness
Grumpiness
Now I've been bitten
By the positivo gene
I wonder if that's really better
And if I don't already miss my grumpiness a bit
You win the hundred meters with a good start
You win the Tour de France with a bike
With pretty words you sometimes win a heart
But you win nothing with grumpiness
A loose lace, that's a case apart
And a blowfly doesn't ride a bike
With pretty words you sometimes win a heart
But you won't fly with grumpiness
But with a blowfly you won't bear a thing
But you win nothing with grumpiness
Grumpiness
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SONG MEANING

“Brombeer” is Bart Peeters’ playful confession of how he transformed from a chronic grumbler into a freshly-minted optimist. The Flemish singer compares his old, grouchy self to a brombeer – literally a growling bear, figuratively a sourpuss. He admits he used to wake up on the wrong side of the bed, blame the world for every mishap, and soak in a bath of cynicism. Through witty images – winning the 100-meter sprint with a good start, conquering the Tour de France with a bike – he reminds us that complaining does not win races, hearts, or anything at all. So he “switches off” the grumble mode, throws his inner bear out the door, and embraces positivity instead.

Yet Peeters keeps it real: after catching the “positivo-gen,” he wonders if being upbeat all the time is truly better, and whether he might even miss a tiny bit of his old grumpiness. This self-aware twist turns the song into more than a pep talk; it is a humorous exploration of balance. Ultimately, “Brombeer” celebrates choosing optimism without pretending life is perfect – a lively reminder that while a loose shoelace or buzzing fly can still annoy us, constant growling will never help us fly or win.

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